Arthur Smith

Ray Thomas · Post by **Ray Thomas** » 4 Apr 2014 12:05 pm

Arthur Smith 93, Charlotte NC died yesterday. Writer of Dueling Banjos

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 4 Apr 2014 2:03 pm

WOW, Arthur Smith was still with us?! He was a legend, truly! Another page in musical history has turned.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 5 Apr 2014 7:53 am

Was that Arthur "Guitar Boogie"Smith?

Ray Thomas · Post by **Ray Thomas** » 5 Apr 2014 8:05 am

You got it Erv, that's him

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 5 Apr 2014 11:37 am

...brings back many memories, we would watch his show whenever it was on.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 5 Apr 2014 12:32 pm

Of Old Ned...some one will always ask... Is Naid daid...No I replied he just thought he have the funeral now and later on he'd die !!

Regrets, Paul

Ben Rubright · Post by **Ben Rubright** » 5 Apr 2014 3:32 pm

Back in 1957 I bought what I think is the original recording of 'Dueling Banjos' released on March 21, 1957 by Carl Story and his Rambling Mountaineers for Mercury Starday Records. The song was titled 'Mocking Banjo' and writers credit on the record is given as B. Brewster and W. Brewster. The other side of the record is 'Light At The River' written by Carl Story and B. Brewster. Sooooo, does anyone know who in fact wrote the song? There is no doubt that it is the same song as 'Dueling Banjos'. There is no slow intro on the recording....it starts out at full speed with mandolin being 'mocked' by banjo.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... carl+story

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 5 Apr 2014 4:39 pm

Gonna miss Arthur. Many years ago when I worked the sign on shift at a TV station, our first show of the day was the Arthur Smith show. Always enjoyed it.
I have what, I think, is his original recording of
"Guitar Boogie" on a 78 rpm "Super Disk."

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 6 Apr 2014 6:09 am

Ben Rubright wrote:Back in 1957 I bought what I think is the original recording of 'Dueling Banjos' released on March 21, 1957 by Carl Story and his Rambling Mountaineers for Mercury Starday Records. The song was titled 'Mocking Banjo' and writers credit on the record is given as B. Brewster and W. Brewster. The other side of the record is 'Light At The River' written by Carl Story and B. Brewster. Sooooo, does anyone know who, in fact, wrote the song? There is no doubt that it is the same song as 'Dueling Banjos'. There is no slow intro on the recording....it starts out at full speed with mandolin being 'mocked' by banjo.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... carl+story

Arthur won a large lawsuit against the movie owner, Warner Bros. I believe, for the rights to "Dueling Banjos", the theme to Deliverance. So large that he said it paid for a 43 ft. yacht. So at least in the eyes of the court, no doubt that Arthur wrote it!

The thing I remember mostly about the TV show, besides the corny humor and "non-commercial" (non-Nashville?) sound of the music, was how they used video editing such that Arthur would play the guitar, fiddle, and maybe banjo, on a single tune.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 6 Apr 2014 8:01 am

Hey, Bill--You know you liked "Brother Ralph."
Once a year, the cotton mill here, would put up a huge tent, like a circus or a tent revival would use. It almost covered the football field. This was the big retirement and award gathering--We had a "Quarter-Century Club," made up of people who'd spent 25 years in the mill. Arthur Smith was a huge part of those banquets. I was a kid, and we couldn't go, of course, but we did hide in the woods, to listen to Arthur Smith and His Carolina Crackerjacks. They'd poke fun at the "big wheels," and everybody loved that.
Does anybody know if Arthur ever did any session work? If so, who's records did he play on?

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 6 Apr 2014 9:09 am

Steve,

Even as a maybe 8 year old, I was struck by how un Nashville the music was. At the same time we were watching ET, Wilburn Bros., Poter, etc. And Arthur's music was different!

Here's a link to the Charlotte Observer's Obit. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/0 ... 0GJUye9KSM

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 6 Apr 2014 9:18 am

'twas "FREIGHT TRAIN BOOGIE".......I believe it was.

The part that REALLY GRABBED me was the one chorus of single guitar boogie with the next verse it was two guitars playing harmony. WOW! It changed the whole story.

And what about the guy that fell down the elevator shaft, say twenty floors or more.....and the first one that comes along asks......."Are you hurt?"

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 6 Apr 2014 9:54 am

FOOLISH QUESTIONS...you hear them nerely every day !!

Bill Moran · Post by **Bill Moran** » 6 Apr 2014 3:53 pm

I enjoyed the Arthur Smith show on tv as a teen. Really liked the tall guy that did most of the vocals. Can't remember his name . I think it was Tommy ?. The Arthur Smith Show came to town and I went to see it. Arthur Smith was not there, I found out later that the show didn't always include Arthur Smith.
To make a long story short, the tall guy played guitar at that show. Better than Arthur I might add .

RIP Arthur :

Ray Thomas · Post by **Ray Thomas** » 6 Apr 2014 4:23 pm

The tall fella doing vocals was Tommy Fail

Bill Moran · Post by **Bill Moran** » 6 Apr 2014 5:15 pm

Tommy Fail . I guess he is gone now also.

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 6 Apr 2014 5:35 pm

Arthur came to my high school to play a show. First country music show I ever saw. My first sight of Fender guitars and amps. The last two nights, my band closed with Guitar Boogie in his honor(original outro and all).

Dale Lee · Post by **Dale Lee** » 6 Apr 2014 6:24 pm

Just for the record, I believe Tommy's last name was spelled "Faile".

Arthur Smith's death really marks the passage of time for me. My earliest memories include hearing the crackerjacks on radio, before television. After TV came in, I got ready for school every day with Arthur and the Crackerjacks playing.

I well remember and enjoy thinking of Arthur, Brother Ralph, Brother Sonny and his scrapbook recitations. I saw them perform live one time only - at the opening of Costner's Supermarket in my little town of Lawndale. They were on a flatbed trailer.

I happened to meet and speak with Arthur in person on one single occaision. He was exactly the man I had seen on television. A true gentleman.

Rich Peterson · Post by **Rich Peterson** » 7 Apr 2014 3:45 am

Ray Montee wrote:
And what about the guy that fell down the elevator shaft, say twenty floors or more.....and the first one that comes along asks......."Are you hurt?"

Here's your sign.

One of the first albums I owned was of Arthur Smith and his Crackerjacks. I was, and still am impressed by the clear tone of his Epiphone Sheraton, and the crispness of his playing.

Thanks for the memories, Arthur.

Ray Thomas · Post by **Ray Thomas** » 7 Apr 2014 7:42 am

Being from Anson county in NC (35 miles) from Charlotte and being 80 years young I remember Arthur Smith and the Cracker Jacks well. I was in a four piece band in that area in the late forties and early fifties and Arthur came to Norwood NC on a talent hunt and our band won second place. Arthur pulled a big roll of money from his pocket and handed me a twenty dollar bill said we did good. Thats five bucks each, not twenty each. Thought we were on our way to the Grand Old Opera but we missed the bus and it never came by again. Arthur was "the man" in country music in the Carolinas those days, Some one ask about Tommy Faile, not sure if he is still living, maybe someone who knows will let us know.

Butch Mullen · Post by **Butch Mullen** » 7 Apr 2014 3:48 pm

Back in the '60's our band "The Blazers" won one of the talent contest. We got to be on his morning show. They did the Monday show live and recorded the rest of the week's shows the same day. Tommy Faile and Little Wayne Haas was on the show. Tommy recorded " Brown Mountian Lights". He died some years ago. There was no doubt that Arthur was in charge.

Stan Knowles NC · Post by **Stan Knowles NC** » 8 Apr 2014 5:37 pm

I had the privilege to do a show years ago at the Hotel Charlotte with Arthur, Ralph, Sonny, Tommy Faile, and Don Reno! That was a thrill for a young guy just starting out in country music!

Later, years later, we flew from Texas to NC to record a bunch of radio shows with Arthur and George Hamilton IV for our syndicated radio show "Country Crossroads!"
He told us that he called Warner Brothers and told them that the song they featured in the movie Deliverance was
his song, that he wrote it, and that he had the copyright in his hand as he was talking with them. He also told the WB guy that the name of it was NOT "Dueling Banjos." The name of it was "Feudin' Banjos!" Arthur told us that WB just blew him off and said, "Sue
us!" Arthur said that he told them, "I guess I will have to then!" They told him to go right ahead, that they didn't believe that his lawyers in North Carolina were as good as theirs! So, he sued them, and in
the 9th district country in New York, they LOST, BIG TIME! I asked him how much he got. He wouldn't tell us!

Also, an earlier time, don't remember the date at all...but I was IN the radio studio of WBT in Charlotte while they did their daily RADIO show. After they went off the air...the FENDER REP, who also was there during the show...offered to give Arthur a Telecaster, right there and right then if he would quit playing the Gibson electric he was playing a the time. Arthur took the Telecaster, plugged it into his amp, played on it a little bit, handed it back to the Fender rep...and said, "that's too heavy for me! I think I'll just keep playing what I've got! I WAS THERE...and that's exactly what happened. Later...
Arthur switched to a Fender Telecaster!

Ray Thomas · Post by **Ray Thomas** » 8 Apr 2014 6:27 pm

Stan, you'er getting to me on all those names, Don Reno, don't know if Red Smiley was with him yet, Dons son has a show on RFD now, and George Hamilton IV, is he still living, I think so but not sure, I bet Arthur's tv show had much to do with getting those guys going.

Stan Knowles NC · Post by **Stan Knowles NC** » 9 Apr 2014 12:01 pm

Ray...
Don Reno was with Arthur Smith and the Crackerjacks in 1942 and for some years after that! He was with Bill Monroe in '48...didn't start the "Don Reno-Red Smiley" combo until later on.

By the way...in '42 Don recorded Arthur's song, "Feudin'Banjos!" He used to be described as, "playing like Earl Scrugg! It wasn't that he didn't LIKE Earl. It WAS that he didn't LEARN his type of 3-finger banjo rolls and pickin" (which is distinctively diffeent from Scrugs) from listening to Earl. That's the style he ALWAYS picked!

Don died in 1984 and he was only 57 years old. One of the really GREATS, in my opinion!

Danny Spinks · Post by **Danny Spinks** » 9 Apr 2014 1:26 pm

I'm a little late to the party, but I dug this old 78rpm out. I would guess that this is the first recording of "Guitar Boogie" by Arthur Smith.

Like a couple others that have posted about playing on the Arthur Smith Show, I got to play on his show with a band that won one of his talent shows. This would have been in '57 or '58.

Growing up about 20 miles south of Charlotte, I was exposed to a lot of the Arthur Smith history.
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The Steel Guitar Forum

Arthur Smith

Arthur Smith

I Liked his old song about the funeral....

One of the first I heard as a kis.............

Re: One of the first I heard as a kis.............

Arthur Smith

Arthur Smith

Arthur Smith

Don Reno!